How to hang pictures on walls

While what we have on our walls is important, the key to art looking good is more about how to hang pictures than what we choose. A cluster of affordable prints can look equally good as a masterpiece by Picasso or Matisse, as long as you know how to arrange art on a wall (we’re also fond of using books of prints as sources; you can see a beautiful example of this in one of our favourite decoration shoots).

Nicky Haslam did the same in his famous Hunting Lodge. “Behind the bust of Marie Antoinette is a group of sepia engravings of Old Master drawings,” he says. “The whole lot cost about a fiver, but I framed them up ‘grand’ in rubbed gilt.” And if it’s good enough for Nicky… So, once you’ve finished trawling your flea markets, auction houses and galleries of choice, take some time to consider how best to display your burgeoning collection. We’ve canvassed the professionals to get all the tips and tricks you need to know how to hang art, no matter your budget or knowledge.

How to hang pictures: using the space

• Think about the practicalities of the room. A small picture can be lost on a large wall, while a more substantial artwork could dominate a room. Freddie de Rougemont, a specialist in the Old Masters Group at Christie’s London, advises, “The impact of an artwork, however grand, can be greatly reduced if it is unsuited to the space.”
• Consider what will surround the artwork and how the light will fall in the room during the day. Do you want the art to be the focal point, or would you prefer it to be placed more subtly? Bear in mind sight lines and what you want to see first when you enter the room.
• Don’t be afraid to hang a picture somewhere surprising. As David Macdonald, head of Sotheby’s UK single-owner sales, notes, “The relationship you have with a piece should be central: the decoration around it secondary.” Contemporary pieces can look brilliant in traditionally decorated rooms, and vice versa.

How to arrange pictures on a wall

• As a rule of thumb, hanging pictures at eye level is a safe option. This generally means positioning the picture so its midpoint is 57-60 inches from the floor, depending on the ceiling height of the room – and your height, of course.
• Shalini Misra advises that “generally, in spaces where you or your guests are often seated, it makes good decorative sense to mount wall works lower so they sit within the natural field of vision”.
• Obviously, as with any rule, some flexibility is necessary – you may have other artworks to manoeuvre around, or an inconveniently placed mantelpiece. If the picture’s midpoint is not exactly at eye level, don’t panic: go with your instincts and hang it where it feels natural. In fact, Freddie advises against using tape measures at all and suggests “trusting your eye”.
• For a large piece of art, Shalini adds that “it should command a wide space and be allowed to breathe. It will most likely be more impactful if left alone and not cluttered up.”
• What if you are hanging several pictures? “It’s generally sensible to hang your largest picture first and work around it,” recommends Freddie. Visualise how you want the completed wall to look and play around with a few arrangements laid out on the floor before you start to make any holes in the wall.
• Vanessa White explains that “hanging too symmetrically is a mistake and it’s more interesting to hang in a variety of different ways – think about hanging one or two pictures over another or grouping a collection of drawings together in fours.”
• For Virginia White, different spaces call for different compositions. She opts for a more formal hang in a hallway, dining room or certain types of drawing rooms – “something that works with the symmetry of the space and furnishings.” In other spaces, like a snug, library, office, bedroom or downstairs loo, Virginia advises “a more intimate and busy hanging of art to add to the more intimate character of the space”.